Behind Challenger Lines
''Behind Challenger Lines ''is the first episode of ''Batman: Earth-15. ''It introduces the iconic villain Man-Bat to the show and explains the background story behind the character. Synopsis Batman is labeled as the culprit in a series of aerial attacks on pharmaceutical companies. But Batman's own investigation leads him to Dr. Krik Langstorm, whose experiments are crossing species have turned him into the fearsome Man-Bat. Plot All seems quiet in Gotham City, until a half-bat/half-human creature ghosts past the Gotham Air One police blimp, breaks into Phoenix Pharmaceuticals, and assaults a security guard before stealing assorted chemicals from the laboratories. This the latest in a series of such break-ins at pharmaceutical companies. The report blimp and the wounded security guard leads one of the policemen, after an unauthorized interview with The Gotham Glazer, to petition Mayor Hamilton Hill for a special task force designed to eliminate the strange "Batman" that appeared around the city. Commissioner James Gordon objects, stating that the police are already on the case, but the mayor grants the request and D.A Commissioner Gordon promises the policeman immunity. In the days following the Phoenix break-in, Batman investigates the robberies. Sneaking into the crime scene by dosing the guarding police officer with knock-out gas, Batman is spotted by two scientists. They notify the police, and the policeman radios the rest of the police to join him at scene. Batman investigates and discovers an audio-tape of the creature as well as some hair samples. The police task force tries ineffectively to trap him at the crime scene but ends up merely blowing up the third floor of the building, allowing Batman to escape with samples. As Jason Todd, Batman takes the samples to the Bat Exhibit at the Gotham Zoo, where he meets a married couple on staff, Drs. Krik Langstorm and Francie Langstorm and her father Dr. March. March seems quite obsessed with bats, which he insists are the only creatures able to survive the next evolutionary cataclysm, while humans aren't. Jason asks the zoologists to analyze the evidence from the crime scene, passing it off as a pest problem at Wayne Manor. In the Batcave, the Batcomputer has failed to match either the sounds or hairs with any species known to man. Dr. March calls back and gives a perfectly scientific explanation: The hairs are from a common brown bat, while the sounds are actually a mixture of sounds from the bats and a nest of starlings fighting in the chimney. The explanation proves false, given the Batcomputer's inability to find a match with either species. Batman concludes that March is lying, and the zoo staff are somehow involved. Later that night, Batman enters the zoo laboratory and finds Krik working alone. Working from his father-in-law's theories, Krik created a formula that temporarily transforms him into a Man-Bat creature. Krik had been addicted to the formula, to the point he thinks of the Man-Bat as its independent being, taking the necessary steps to continue its existence, such as stealing the chemicals necessary to keep making the formula. Now that he has destroyed Batman's evidence, Krik is only one component away from the formula that will make the transformation permanent, but now Batman has interrupted the process. Then Krik finally transforms and attacks Batman. Man-Bat has the upper hand until he recoils the sight of his wife who came to his lab and he in shame. Batman uses his Grapple Gun to get a hold of Man-Bat's leg and Man-Bat drags Batman through the sky across half of Gotham. Both of them fly past a police helicopter, allowing Gordon and the policemen to see that the Man-Bat and Batman are two different people. Batman causes Man-Bat to crash against a building, knocking him unconscious. Batman takes Man-Bat to the Batcave, he analyzes the chemical makeup of the formula and reserves the transformation. He then delivers an unconscious but fully-restored Krik to Francie, and Batman tells her that Man-Bat is gone, for now. Trivia * Parts of this episode are similar to the pilot episode of ''Batman: The Animated Series ''"On Leather Wings". Category:Batman: Earth-15 Season One Episodes Category:Batman: Earth-15 Episodes